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For celebrities and those in the public eye, stalking is a real issue and more so with the growth of social media.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, October 23, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For celebrities and those in the public eye, stalking is a real issue and more so with the growth of social media.
UK based Intelligent Protection International, a firm that specializes in protecting Royalty, celebrities and Ultra-High-Net-Worth-Individuals feels that more can be done to combat stalking with more awareness of the issue and with security teams being more prepared.

There are many case studies of famous stalkers and of course those cases where the celebrity stalking became fatal.
Is it possible for personal security to detect or deter stalkers?

It is possible to detect a pattern of obsessive or aggressive behavior if you know what you are looking for, and, if communications are recorded in such a way that they can be reviewed.

The “Stalker Threat” can be split into two different groups, known stalkers and unknown stalkers. Let’s take a look at both and how they differ:

Known Stalkers:
Stalkers often come to the attention of the victim or the victim’s security team due to their actions either over a short intense period or over a long period of contact. This contact can be either physical or remote, via mail or online.

It does, of course, require joined up collaboration between the private office managing personal mail, PR office managing social media and the security team to first identify individuals who may pose a threat immediately or in the future. Monitoring of potential stalkers is of vital importance.

It is possible to act fast and obtain legal injunctions and court orders if it is perceived or evidenced that an individual is posing a credible threat.

With the advent of social media, celebrities are far more accessible to the public – you can almost reach out and touch them, you can be noticed by them. This does lead in many cases, to stalkers first being noticed do to persistent, odd or aggressive behavior.

Many stalkers believe that they have a personal relationship with their victim and this often leads to jealousy and in extreme cases, the stalker feeling that if they cannot have their idol, then no-one can.

Unknown Stalkers:
The major issue with unknown stalkers id that while they may have limited if no contact at all with their target, the tend to be at the adverse end of the stalking cycle when their presence is detected – that is to say that they may have been obsessing for a very long time and may have been planning an initial “physical contact” with their chosen victim for a considerable amount of time.

Often the first time that staff or the intended victim become aware of this type of Stalker is when they are in the process of acting out their fantasy. They might have at this stage entered the grounds of a property, gained access to a residence or such like.

At this point, things can go one of two ways, either the Stalker will be identified as a threat, or they will not be identified until it is too late.

A good example of this type of behavior is the case involving Sandra Bullock stalker Joshua Corbett. The star had no idea that he had been waiting for some days outside her home and that he planned to sexually assault the star. Lucky for Sandra Bullock she herself was able to raise the alarm while hiding in a bedroom closet.

In many cases, the only fire sure way or combating the unknown stalker threat is to ensure that you have adequate security including of course bodyguards. Joshua Corbett in his court case made a point for discussing the lack of security that Bullock has in place at her home. Good security will go a long way in deterring physical contact and great security should detect threats as they manifest themselves.

Police action against stalkers
It is not always easy to get the Police Forces to take action against stalkers. There are many documented cases worldwide where stalkers have been reported to the Police and the they have taken little or no action, either aggravating the situation or prolonging the action of stalking, before coming to a conclusion – a conclusion that often involves a violent confrontation between the victim and the stalker.

It is of vital importance that any contact between a stalker and his intended victim be recorded and that those managing a stars private life, from the PR team and Private Office to the security team all work in unison to ensure that potential threats do not go missed.

Alex Bomberg is the CEO of UK/France based Intelligent Protection International Limited, a global provider of Executive Protection Services. The firm has offices in a number of countries around the world in support of its client protective security requirements.

Alex Bomberg
Intelligent Protection International Limited
+44 207 4566740
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